Wedding Day Reunion
by NotWriteInTheHead
Summary: The woman before her is somehow exactly the same as she remembered and yet, so completely different. A more mature version of the beautifully flawed girl that got away from her in high school. Emily knows, without really knowing how, that by the end of whatever conversation they were going to have, she was going to regret not being in Paige's life.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pretty Little Liars, I'm mostly just ignoring it for right now.

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**Wedding Day Reunion**

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Emily sips at the glass of white wine she's been milking all night as she awkwardly sways back and forth in her chair, trying to look as inconspicuous and blended in as humanly possible. She didn't know anyone here and she wasn't really in the mood for small talk. Samara was off mingling, doing her charming Samara thing. Her girlfriend promised she'd be back in ten minutes and though Emily knew better, she didn't say anything, accepting the blondes kiss and quietly watched her disappear into the crowd.

That was over half an hour ago and Emily was beginning to get restless. She hears the familiar clink of a fork against a glass and she turns her head, catching the bride and groom pulling apart and sitting back down. She smiles. They were a sweet couple, whoever they were.

Her eyes scan the increasingly rowdy reception. It was an interesting sight, seeing what appeared to be the grooms somewhat homey, southern family attempt conversation while the brides overly proper, rich family repeatedly waves them off.

_It must be love, _she thinks to herself. Why else would anyone attempt to bring two polar opposite views together?

Emily shakes her head, her eyes moving through the crowd again. She cringes, as the man who seemed to make it his mission to make her as uncomfortable as she's ever been, smirks at her again. Her eyes dart around the room, hoping this time she will see her girlfriend's familiar blonde hair _somewhere_ in the room. Just as she spots a shade of blonde that may or may not belong to Samara (at this point it wouldn't even matter, she just wants to be as far away from the man who, out of the corner of her eye, she can see is walking towards her) someone taps her on her shoulder, startling her and making her spill her drink onto the rather expensive looking tablecloth.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," the vaguely familiar voice apologizes.

Emily twists her head around, not knowing whether she was going to yell at the stranger who startled her or thank them for hopefully deterring the leering man's progress. She's left speechless and more than a little surprised though, when she sees who exactly it was that tapped her on the shoulder.

"Paige?" It couldn't be.

"Emily." It is.

The woman before her is somehow exactly the same as she remembered and yet, so completely different. A more mature version of the beautifully flawed girl that got away from her in high school. Emily knows, without really knowing how, that by the end of whatever conversation they were going to have, she was going to regret not being in Paige's life. As the corners of Paige's lips turn up into a smile that Emily doesn't recognize, she realizes she already does.

Emily can't help herself, she stares. Then seemingly against her will, her eyes wander. Paige was nothing short of stunning. Though her hair was up, Emily could tell it was much longer that she'd remembered it being in high school. The rich brown color bringing out her beautiful, porcelain-like skin and the intricately looking braided up-do showing off her long elongated neck and strong, lean shoulders. Paige obviously still kept in shape. Emily wants to keep going, wants to enjoy whatever life carved into the beautiful woman before her, but she catches Paige's warm brown eyes smiling down at her and she's suddenly embarrassed. So she stops.

Emily quickly blinks her eyes away and closes her mouth. Her cheeks warm in further embarrassment and just a little bit of guilt at the realization that she doesn't know exactly how long her mouth was left hanging open. That is was hanging at all. That she forgot for a moment that she had girlfriend. A girlfriend who she loved dearly.

She shakes her head, turns her body to face a still standing Paige and takes a breath. "Hi."

Paige's smile widens. "Hi." She points to the chair next to Emily. "Do you mind?"

Emily shakes her head and watches as Paige immediately pulls the chair out, briefly stopping to look down at her dress and then sits down, crossing her legs and dropping her bag onto the table, careful to keep it away from the spilled wine. She scoots her chair in and then looks at Emily.

"Again, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine. I'm pretty sure there are a few other people here who've made a bigger mess than a little spilt wine," she reassures her.

"Yeah, no kidding," Paige says, looking past Emily's head

Emily follows Paige's line of sight, finding the groom trying to pull an obviously intoxicated man away from the wedding cake. She laughs. "See," she says proudly, turning back to face Paige. "How hard can it be getting white wine out of a silk tablecloth?"

Paige shrugs, _that_ smile back on her face.

"What?" Emily asks, suddenly uneasy.

"Nothing," she shakes her head. "I just..."

"What?"

Paige bites her lip and bows her head, staring intently at her fidgeting hands. "I thought for sure you peaked at high school. I think I'm a little...annoyed that that's not quite the case."

Emily knows she's blushing again at the slight compliment. "Yeah, well-" Emily stops as she spots a ring on Paige's finger. It's not her ring finger, but it looks important nonetheless. It's another thing to add to the list of things bothering Emily tonight. The second Paige starts to twist it, Emily looks away. She clears her throat. "So, what are you doing here?"

Paige looks up. "Friend of the bride. You?"

Emily isn't sure what it's called when your girlfriend is rear ended by the bride, who then invites you and said girlfriend to the wedding to make up for it. _The more, the merrier_ was mentioned multiple times in the story Samara told. "Um, same. Sort of," is what she says.

Paige nods, Emily notices that she's still twisting the ring.

"So...what are you doing now? Career wise." Emily rolls her eyes at how stupid that sounded.

Paige chuckles. "I'm a Physical Therapist, actually."

"Really?" Emily asks, completely surprised.

Paige frowns.

"Sorry," Emily apologizes. "I just thought- I mean you- What happened to swimming?" Having kept slight tabs on Paige, Emily is fully aware that for whatever reason, Paige no longer swam, at least not competitively. But she thought for sure, she would've found _some_ way to stay close to the sport.

"I messed up my shoulder pretty badly in college. By the time I recovered, I just considered it a lost."

"That's too bad," Emily says sincerely. She remembers the overly competitive girl from high school. The girl who either was the best or was never too far behind the best. She couldn't have taken it too well, having her dreamed ripped away from her.

Paige shrugs.

Or maybe she gave it up on her own accord, Emily thinks, looking at the seemingly fine woman sitting before her.

"What about you? What happened to the amazing Emily Fields?" Paige asks. "Career wise," she adds, smirking.

"I'm a teacher," Emily says quietly, suddenly embarrassed she made such a big deal in her head about Paige not swimming anymore. It was the pot calling the kettle black.

Paige simply nods.

"You don't seem all that surprised."

"I'm not."

Emily frowns. Paige probably thought she couldn't make it. "Some would say I was a better swimmer than you," she says matter of factly.

Paige laughs, her eyes dancing in amusement. "You were."

Emily's frown deepens. "Then why-"

"You also have a huge heart," Paige interrupts. "I'm glad you didn't...waste it on swimming. The kids must love you."

Emily looks away embarrassed. She didn't know how to read this new open version of Paige. "I love _them._"

Paige smiles, leaning against the table. "Tell me about it."

And Emily has no reason not to, so she does. She tells her about Jackson, who gives her a flower and a cheeky grin every morning. She tells her about Tamara and how she's sure she'll take over the world. Sarah and her always, always, _always _going mind. Mikey and J.R. and Katy and Timmy and Julie and all the other kids she's fallen in love with. She tells Paige she's never been happier when Paige asks as much.

She stops when she realizes she's rambling, but Paige tells her to go on. So she does. She tells her about her parents and how she only goes back to Rosewood to visit them during the holidays. She tells her about Hanna and Aria and is beyond surprised when Paige stops her and tells her she already knows about Spencer. Apparently, they ran into each other and they talk_ 'every now and then.' _Emily makes a mental note to ask Spencer about it later.

She talks and talks and talks until she feels like there aren't anymore words. And then she listens and nods along as Paige tells her about this soldier who lost his leg and how the only thing he's bitter about, is not being able to serve anymore. She talks about how her dad died a few years ago and how her mom is doing well. She talks about how she lives in Chicago now and about all these people Emily has never met and all these things that have happened that Emily wishes she wasn't just hearing about.

And Emily isn't really sure if this is the right time, but hearing Paige talk so enthusiastically about her life and how happy she is now, only makes Emily want to do what she's wanted to do for what seems like years.

"Paige, I'm really so-"

Paige lightly grasps Emily's clasped hands on the table. "Let's not do this Emily."

"I just feel like I should apologize."

"You didn't do anything wrong. If anyone should apologize, it's me."

"You?" Emily's brows furrow in confusion. "For what?"

Paige pulls her hand away. "Now that I'm...out and proud or whatever they call it. I'm really happy, you know." Paige smiles, a dreamy expression taking over her face as she continues. "Just being able to walk down the street and just...not care. About any any of it. Not how I walk or talk or if I'm wearing too much plaid," she chuckles, before suddenly stopping. She sighs, staring Emily straight in her eyes. "I just- It's nice not worrying about people finding out that I'm gay. It's nice not having to hide it anymore," she grins. "It's amazing, actually. Being out makes hiding seem so...crazy to me now."

Emily grabs a glass of water off of the table and gingerly sips at it. She hopes Paige isn't done talking yet, because she doesn't really know what she wants to say to her. She doesn't even know where to begin, so she's grateful when Paige starts to speak again. Putting the glass back on the table, she listens.

"I didn't realize then, I was just so...sad and angry that I lost you and I couldn't figure out why. But I realize it now. How hard it must have been being with me. I was pushing you back into the closet. And I'm sorry. That I wasn't ready and...I'm just sorry for everything. You shouldn't have had to hold my hand. Figuratively or otherwise."

"Paige," Emily almost whispers her name. How could she think she needed to apologize for that? God, she got it so wrong.

"No, Emi-"

Emily quickly puts a hand up. "Can you just shut up for a second? Please? Just let me talk."

Paige's shoulders slump, but she nods.

Emily takes a breath, trying to find her words. She thinks back to high school. Tries to remember Paige. How afraid of her own shadow she was, how scared she was that everything was going to change, how her voice cracked when she finally said the word _gay _out loud. She tries to remember herself. How she agreed that everything was going to change, but for the better, how she promised with no uncertain terms that she was going to be there for Paige, how she ultimately lied to her...how her and Samara even got together in the first place.

"I should have been there," she starts.

Paige opens her mouth, to protest, Emily is certain.

"I told you I was going to wait for you," Emily quickly cuts in before she can get a word out. "That I was going to be there for you...and I wasn't. I gave up on you. I-"

Paige quickly shakes her head. "No, you didn't."

Emily closes her eyes, rubbing a hand up and down her temple. "Yes, I did. You were apologizing for pushing me back in the closet and making me do this and that and you didn't. I didn't even give you time to. It wasn't hard for me because I barely tried."

"You shouldn't have had to," Paige reaffirms.

"After all I promised to do for you. I should have been there. I should have at least tried. And I didn't. I'm so sorry that I didn't, you deserved better," Emily finishes, feeling like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. She didn't realize how long she's been holding this in until Paige waltzed back into her life...as she so often liked to do.

Paige grasps Emily's hand again, her voice serious when she speaks again. "Emily, I-"

"Alright babe," Paige abruptly pulls her hand back as a beautiful woman excitedly bounces next to them. "I gave you a long enough break," she continues grinning as she wraps her arms around Paige's shoulders, leaning her head against Paige's and kissing her ear.

Emily suddenly feels like she's intruding.

"That couldn't have been more than ten minutes," Paige says, all the seriousness from a second ago completely gone, replaced with what Emily can only describe as a giddy Paige, who clings to the arms firmly wrapped around her.

"More like forty. You can thank Jamie for that." the woman shakes her head.

"It barely felt like two," Paige argues.

The woman extracts her arms from around Paige and kneels down next to her chair, she places her hands on one of Paige's thighs, using it to lean up and kiss Paige hard on the lips, making Emily look away.

"I'm sorry, Paige seems to have forgotten her manners," the woman says, before turning to look at Emily. "I'm Shana."

Emily turns back to find the woman's extended arm in front of her. She firmly shakes it. "Emily."

Shana smiles, letting her hand go. "It's nice to meet you," she says, intertwining her hands with Paige's. "I hope you got everything you wanted out of her because she owes me a few dances."

Emily takes Shana's statement in way she knows is inappropriate and completely not how she meant it.

"Ugh, Shana. You know I don't like to dance. I'm not good at it."

Shana pulls her eyes away from Emily's to look at Paige. "Trust me, I know. The thing is...I don't need you to dance. All you have to do is stand there and look pretty while I dance around you. You can do that, can't you?"

Paige rolls her eyes dramatically. "Ugh."

"Ugh, my ass," Shana says, pulling Paige up from her seat. "If you'll excuse us," she shoots Emily a pointed look.

Emily bites her tongue and swallows. "Of course," she says, giving Shana a forced smile.

"Come on," Shana says, pulling Paige along.

Paige offers Emily a glance. "It was nice seeing you again, _Em_." She puts emphasis on Emily's given nickname, and it is then that Emily realizes it's the first time she's called her that tonight. It fills her up with a sense of..._something_ Emily can't quite put her finger on, but she welcomes it anyway.

"You too," Emily says to herself as she watches Shana pull a laughing Paige onto the dance floor.

"Hello, gorgeous," Samara smirks in front of Emily, handing her a glass of wine.

Emily continues watching Paige and Shana, ignoring her girlfriend. Shana was exaggeratedly moving her hands up and down Paige's body, making the girl shake her head. She blows out a quiet breath, then turns to look at Samara. "Finally. Where have you been?"

Samara shrugs and sits down in the now vacant seat next to Emily. "I told you I was mingling, networking. I have a meeting with four different..."

Emily tunes her out, finding Paige and Shana far more interesting. Some slow song was now blaring through the speakers and contrary to what Paige said earlier, she was dancing. Her arms were tightly wrapped around Shana as they swayed to the music. Both of their eyes were closed and they looked...happy, peaceful, _in love_.

"What are you- Hey, that kind of looks like-"

"It's not," Emily says, knowing exactly who Samara thought it was and thinking it best to lie to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I thought it was her too. It's not," she says again, turning back to Samara.

"Huh," Samara laughs. "You're right. That girl is still probably in the closet."

Emily bites her lip, annoyed. Agrees with her anyway. "Probably."

Samara grabs her hand, kissing it. "And I couldn't be more thankful. She gave me you," she says, grinning.

"Yup," Emily says, allowing Samara to kiss her.

As she closes her eyes, unsurprisingly she thinks of someone else.

**End. I think.**

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Okay, so a few things:

One: when I said I was ignoring PLL, I wasn't lying. And while this was written a while ago I usually re-read it to make sure no ones too ooc or anything, but since I've mostly been watching the show through gifs, I can't really tell with any kind of certainty if they are or aren't. So, I'm sorry if this doesn't feel like them at all. Feel free to chew me out.

Two: I have never been in either Emily or Paige's shoes, so I'm mostly just going by feeling, my crappy memory on that whole situation and how I think they'd feel about years later. Again, feel free to yell at me if it's wrong.

Three: Emily is not the bad guy. Paige is not the bad guy. Shana is not the bad guy. Samara...is much better as a bad ass vamp on The Originals, than she ever was as a counselor on PLL. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Four: I feel like I say this with every fic but...it might not be completely done. But as of right now, it is. Idk. I don't know why I mess with my own head like this.

Anyhow, as always, you guys are awesome and thank you for all the unexpected love on Fix Me Up. I really wasn't expecting that, so thank you. Also, how do you like my super clever title. I'm awesome at coming up with them (please read the sarcasm).


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